B-town newbies Ajay-Atul prove that they have it in them to light up a big ticket Hindi movie with their earthy sensibilities

Agneepath is an out-and-out action film and a revenge drama, so you would naturally not expect too much excitement in the music department. Yet, the soundtrack of the movie is interesting, mainly because the composers and the makers have pooled in different moods and a good variety of sounds and styles.

Ajay-Atul rose to fame with Chikni Chameli’s original Marathi song Kombdi palali from Jatra and now with the remade Chikni, they have managed to hit the top of the charts in B-town as well. Shreya Ghoshal has done a great job in adapting her soft voice to the aggressive and super-fast tempo of the song. But it’s probably Katrina Kaif’s jhatka-matkas and sex appeal and not so much the musical quality of the song that has worked in this case. As you move to the next song on the CD, you will be happy to know that this item number is not the only thing that Ajay-Atul have to offer. O saiyyan is hauntingly romantic, a song that’ll stay with you even after the film has come and gone. Interestingly, singer Roop Kumar Rathod voices the emotions of the female protagonist instead of the hero’s. And this is also a good time to realise that the lyricist of this soundtrack is Amitabh Bhattacharya, who up until now has been associated with small films, experimental music and off-beat lyrics. Despite finding himself in a commercial space for the first time, Amitabh holds his own as he comes up with unique lines like Khushboo teri chuke kasturi ho jaoo, kitni fiki thi main, sindoori ho jayoo.

The beautiful Saiyyan is followed by a very average Gun gun guna, despite its upbeat rhythm and driving beat. Sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Udit Narayan, you feel like skipping it and moving on to something better. Then there’s Sonu Nigam’s Abhi mujh mein kahin. It’s a lovely composition and Sonu, as expected, gives it his all.

Deva Shree Ganesha is fast, heart-racing and almost ominous. We are sure the song comes at a crucial point in the film and music director Ajay Gogawale, who decided to get behind the microphone, has done complete justice to it.

And just when you think that the music director-duo is riding on Maharashtrian roots, they come up with a beautifully composed Pathani number, Shah ka rutba. It’s a refreshing, authentic qawwali without any typical Sufi elements thrown in. The thing is that each time you listen to a qawwali, you think of the master AR Rahman. And we must say that Ajay-Atul have managed to come very close to the big man’s work. They have definitely grown since their first Bollywood outing in Singham.

Overall Agneepath has a bunch of pleasant and listenable songs. It’s a great musical recipe – a good mix of Bollywood masala with a Marathi tadka. But will that be enough to push a big project like Agneepath? I hope so.